


Warmth

by halfpastmonsoon



Category: Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
Genre: Canon Compliant, Denial of Feelings, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-03
Updated: 2019-06-03
Packaged: 2020-04-07 06:00:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19078924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfpastmonsoon/pseuds/halfpastmonsoon
Summary: 'What are you doing?' Yossarian asked tiredly, watching Orr from the corner of his eye.The two of them were currently preparing to rest, after having been abandoned by Milo Minderbinder, who decided to prioritize artichokes sales over them. Neither of them knew where he had run off to, so they had no choice but to stick together, trying to find someplace to sleep. Their best option turned out to be the plane, with its cold metal floor.Yossarian knew that he wasn't going to get any sleep, but at least they were relatively safe there.'Oh, me?' Orr asked, looking back at him. He had been walking around the plane, seemingly for no reason except to annoy Yossarian. 'I'm looking for something to cover up with. The floor is cold.'





	Warmth

'What are you doing?' Yossarian asked tiredly, watching Orr from the corner of his eye.

The two of them were currently preparing to rest, after having been abandoned by Milo Minderbinder, who decided to prioritize artichokes sales over them. Neither of them knew where he had run off to, so they had no choice but to stick together, trying to find someplace to sleep. Their best option turned out to be the plane, with its cold metal floor.

Yossarian knew that he wasn't going to get any sleep, but at least they were relatively safe there.

'Oh, me?' Orr asked, looking back at him. He had been walking around the plane, seemingly for no reason except to annoy Yossarian. 'I'm looking for something to cover up with. The floor is cold.'

'Please stop. I can't stand to watch you walk in circles like that,' Yossarian begged with a groan. 'Just go to sleep already.'

'I can't sleep if I'm cold,' Orr protested, offended, as he sat down next to Yossarian anyway.

'Then at least be quiet. I would want to try to sleep,' Yossarian demanded impatiently, closing both of his eyes. He wished he could be home already.

'I can be quiet,' Orr offered, snickering, 'but you have to let me tell you something first.'

Yossarian groaned. He had a bad feeling. 'What is it that you want to tell me?' he asked cautiously. He felt Orr's head rest against his shoulder. He resisted his first instinct of shaking him off. It wasn't unpleasant.

'I wanted to tell you that after we make it back, you should fly with me. It would be fun, tee-hee-hee.'

Yossarian opened his eyes and glanced at him. Orr's cheek was resting against his shoulder. He looked more vulnerable than ever before, not even daring to look at Yossarian, instead staring at his own hands, which he was rubbing to warm up.

'I don't want to talk about that,' Yossarian said curtly.

'Then, would you rather talk about my girl? The one that was hitting me on the head? Would you want to know why?' Orr questioned, finally looking up at him with a grin.

Yossarian shook his head. 'I'd rather talk about nothing at all. I know you. You wouldn't tell me about that anyway.'

'What makes you think that?' Orr asked, holding back laughter.

'Because you're a sadistic bastard who think it's funny,' Yossarian explained with a tired smile.

In response, Orr exploded with gleeful laughter. Now his forehead was resting against Yossarian's shoulder, making it shake in sync with his hysterical laughter. Yossarian rolled his eyes, but somehow, he realised, he didn't feel as cold anymore.

'I don't know what you did, Orr, but I don't think the cold is bothering me anymore,' he informed, putting his hand up to his warm cheek.

Orr looked up at him with a sly smile. 'I told you,' he said, choking on his own spit, 'I told you that you should talk to me and it will help.'

'You never said that, you bastard,' Yossarian insisted, shaking his head. 'And I'm not sure if that even helped. I really have to try to sleep, so don't talk to me anymore.'

'You won't be able to sleep anyway,' Orr pointed out with confidence. 'It's too cold and uncomfortable. So you might as well keep talking to me.'

Yossarian eyed him curiously. He was probably right. The floor wasn't exactly comfortable, and even though he ignored how cold it was for now, it was likely that he would be woken up by it if he managed to lose consciousness. All that was something he was acutely aware of before they entered the plane.

That didn't seem to be what Orr, who was definitely just as exhausted as Yossarian, if not more, was getting at, though. There was a certain aura of loneliness about him that made Yossarian feel sorry for him. In that moment, he felt lonely too. They were both abandoned by Milo, after all, in an unfamiliar place, at the mercy of the weather and the artichoke sales.

Yossarian subconsciously wrapped his arm around Orr. There was no muscle on him, nothing that could help him defend himself if he needed to. If Yossarian weren't there, would he have even made it to the plane? Or would he get lost and attacked by strangers in the night, taking advantage of his exhaustion?

Yossarian found himself choked up by that thought. Orr was looking at him with gullible confusion and his eternal goofy smile. He couldn't know what Yossarian was thinking. He probably never worried about such things.

Yossarian sighed deeply. 'We really should try to sleep. I have no idea when Milo might come back and force us to go somewhere again. Tell you what,' he added reluctantly, 'let's just sit together so we might be less cold.'

'Less cold but less comfortable,' Orr remarked happily, scooting over immediately. 'Tee-hee-hee.'

'Only if you kick me in your sleep,' Yossarian said with a crooked smile. Despite everything, he still felt warm inside, especially when Orr decided to cling onto his shoulder.

Soon after, they were chased out of the plane into the rain by truck drivers with their crates of artichokes. As soon as they were allowed to, they squeezed themselves back into the plane and tried to sleep once again.

Despite all that, being soaking wet, uncomfortable and exhausted, Yossarian never lost the warmth that kept him alive through the night like a fireplace.


End file.
